I love Twitter. I love the interactions there far more than Facebook, (but then I intensely dislike Facebook – but that’s by the by – ) I love Twitter for many reasons, but I love discovering new treasures through it the most.

A recent recommendation via tweet was by @knittingkonrad for Kim Hargreaves new pattern collection book, Smoulder.

For over twenty years Hargreaves was a designer for Rowan and also managed the brand; Smoulder is her A/W 13 collection contains 21 patterns and each ticks a big old box on the effortless style, chic and vintage looks, classic shapes and beautiful fabric & textures.

I was particularly struck by how timeless these knits are. I absolutely adore the cardigans Rosamund, Holt and Wren for this precise reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoulder is the right word – the garments are sexy and very womanly. There are some fun knits, such as Jeannie, the hide patterned cardi and there are also designs which hark back to Rowan’s past – Lola looks decidedly and perfectly retro Rowan.

I just love the effortless beauty of Kim’s designs. Who wouldn’t love a Connie to sling on on a chilly day or indeed dress it up?

 

All the patterns are knit in Rowan yarns, of course! I have used Rowan yarn in the past – this year not so much as, while an excellently British company,  they only have one range of yarn using UK bred wool. That doesn’t mean YOU shouldn’t buy tonnes of Rowan – designs like Hetty and Iris in Kidsilk and Angora Haze deserve nothing less –  just investigate their British Sheep Breeds range too!

All the designs in the collection range from 32″ to 43″ and to be honest that is my only wee niggle – it would be nice to include larger sizes particularly as many of the designs would suit a lovely curvy figure (and 43″ chest does not quite equal a XXL tag in my book)

Beautiful, wearable….EXTREMELY knitable (if the 18 marked pages in my copy have anything to do with it) feminine patterns by a really wonderful designer. Smoulder is available from Kim’s website and book shops and costs £17.45

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ETA: I have had trouble accessing Kim’s site today – looks like maintenance, but do persevere. You can also view Kim’s patterns on the Rowan site.